// Poundland to open 26 chilled & frozen food “shop-in-shops” in the run up to Christmas, starting this week
// Work on the 26 stores will continue as planned during the English lockdown, in line with safety guidance
// The shop-in-shops are part of Poundland’s Project Diamond scheme & follows its acquisition of Fultons Foods
Poundland has revealed plans to open 26 chilled and frozen food “shop-in-shops” in the run up to Christmas, after it recently acquired frozen food specialist retailer Fultons Foods.
Poundland said rollout of the new concessions will start this week, and that work would continue during the latest lockdown in England, as it is classified as an essential retailer and would would comply with official safety and hygiene guidance.
The discount retailer said up to six stores a week are set to be installed with chiller and freezer cabinets, and forms part of its Project Diamond transformation scheme.
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Phase two of the project began in October to bring the ranges to another 40-plus Poundland stores by Christmas, in addition to the 70-plus stores that were converted by September.
It will see a further 26 stores converted in November and December as the programme accelerates following the acquisition of Fultons Foods in October.
The new chilled and frozen ranges have been developed in partnership with Fultons Foods, which Poundland acquired last month.
The discount retailer said the Fultons Foods acquisition would see a £25 million investment to bring its chilled and frozen offer to around 500 Poundland stores over the next two years.
“As an essential retailer we know how much customers appreciate being able to do more of their shopping under one roof,” Fultons Foods managing director Karen Rees said.
“We look forward to welcoming them to our revamped stores, helping them manage challenging times.”
Project Diamond is part of the biggest transformation in Poundland’s 30-year history.
To date it has featured refreshing and refurbishing stores, new store openings and relocations, and accelerating the rollout of chilled and frozen food concessions.
Poundland has also branched out to homewares, ”free from” grocery products, and expanded its stationery, entertainment and clothing offering under the Pep&Co fascia.
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